Drain seal for refrigerator cars



nec. 29,1925. v 1,561,423

G. L. coMLossY DRAIN SAL FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed Feb. 2. 1925 m11 3/\ n... 2i `6 \v\\\\\\\\\\\\ m HC1 E A A l ////////////////I T [Il 'l Y. :Ii iii In 11 gwventoz GEORGE L. Com.o5sf

anni nu Patented Dee. 29, i925.

GEORGE L. COMLOSSY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

'DRAIN SEAL FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS.

Application led February 2, 1925.

To all 107mm 72201)/ concern:

Be it known that l, GEORGE L. CoMLossr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Drain Seal for Refrigerator Cars, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to liquid seals and is more especially concerned with hydraulic seals for the drain pipes of refrigerator cars.

Practically for commercial purposes the transportation of perishable commodities such as fruit and vegetables presents certain nice problems which have been the subject of increasing consideration because of the enormous loss which yearly occurs. Among the factors contributing to such'commodity loss is the fact that the drain through which flows the water from the melting ice 1s inefliciently sealed, and, as a result, in summer, warm atmospheric air enters the car causing melting of the ice and resulting deleteriously to the commodity,'and, in winter the cold air entering the car is also most injurious as will readily be understood. It has further been noted that in windy weather the hydraulic seal usually maintained to keep out atmospheric air'and retain the contained air is destroyed owing to the fact that the wind blowing up` the drain pipe blows the liquid from the seal. It will be understood that the existing objections above noted are extremely detrimental to efficient transportation of perishable commodities and the tremendous annual loss which is directly or @indirectly due to these objections is staggering.

Objects of this invention are to provide a liquid seal for drain ducts which prevents the ingress of atmospheric air irrespective of existing weather conditions; to provide a liquid sealfor drain ducts'of refrigerator cars which prevents the egress of the air from within the car and the ingress of atmospheric air irrespective of surrounding weather conditions; .and to provide a new and improved device which is readily at- Vtachable to and detachable from the ends of pipes for effectively maintaining a liquid seal. Y

In one aspect this invention comprises a cup-like structure which may be of paper, cloth or other suitable material coated with a suitable substance such as paraiiin or other- Seral No. 6,344.

wise treated to render the cup resistant to liquids and alkalescent acids the size and shape of the cup depending on the service conditions and the dimensions of the duct to which it may be detacliably connected as by an elastic band, bendable wire, etc. Suitablyformed in the cup are one or more apertures through which liquid flowing through the duct may pass, the liquid tiowing between the cup and the outer wall of the duct so that in this manner a small amount of the liquid may be drained but sufiicient will be retained to effect an adequate seal. It is to be understood that the size and strength of the cup as well as the strength of the attaching or securing means may be varied in accordance with the prevailing service conditions, for example the cup and securing means may be of such size and strength to retain the duct full of liquid or only sufficient liquid to provide a minimum seal. Such sealing device is most effective and useful in connection with drain pipes of refrigerating cars from which water resulting from the ice melting is drained from the car and where an hydraulic or other seal is essential to prevent ingress of atmospheric air to the inside of the car and egress of the contained air to the atmosphere. Y

The invention is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure l is a fragmentary sectional view of a refrigerator car equipped with an hydraulic sealing device;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing in detail the liquid sealing device and operative arrangement of parts; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a modified form of sealing device.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a refrigerator car l of any usual or well known construction having a compartment 2 for receiving perishable commodities such as fruit and vegetables, and a compartment or bunker 3 for receiving ice 4, the relatively warm air from compartment 2 entering compartment 3 through a screen 5 and returning to compartment 2 with the temperature considerably lowered through a screen 6. As the above construc tion forms no part of the present invention, further description thereof is deemed 1111- necessary. i

lll

The water resulting from the melting of the ice 4 is directed from. thel compartment 3 to a chamber or catch 7 by an inclined plate 8 and from the chamber 7 the water flows by gravity into a.y drain. pipe or duct. 9. As has heretofore been pointed out, it is quite essential that the air within the refrigerator car be prevented from passing to atmosphere while at the same time atmos# pheric air must be prevented from entering the refrigerator car and to accomplish this it has been found' desirable and expedient to provide a water seal utilizing the water from the melting ice edectively to prevent the interchangeV of air at the different temperatures.

In accordance withy the present invention a cup-like structurel() is fitted over the end of the pipe 9 so thatA the end of the pipe may be in close juxtaposition to the bottom of the structure. For` securely holding the cupV 1()l in position on the pipe, annular grooves 11 may be formed in the outer sur face of the pipe and an elastic band 12 of rubber or other suitable' material may4 be placed around the cup 10, pressing the material of the cup closely againstone of` the grcoves 11. As shown, a plurality of grooves 11 may be formed in the pipe 9 at vertically spaced intervals to accommodate cupsl of different sizes', according to the seal desiredi or the weight of the dbris .issuing from the caror for other purposes; Formed in the cup 10 between the connection thereof with the pipe 9 and the outerend of the pipe VYare one or more apertures 13, the number of Y which may be varied' according to the liquid llow from within the car.

In use the water flowing from the car through the drain pipe 9 passes through the Yspace between the cup 10 and the outer wall of the pipe and to the outside throughthe apertures 13 in the cup. It will thus be observed that so longl as the cup remains intact and; iny position on the drain pipe 9 an adequate liquid seal is formed which effectively' nreventsegress, ofy air from within the car and ingress. of atmospheric air to the inside ofthe car. VVh'en, however, they water pressure becomes excessive or the Weight of dbris entering the cupl overcomes the strength of the elastic band 12 the cup is automatically forced from engagement with the drain pipe and in this manner preventing they water from backing up into the compartment 2 Where it wouldl otherwise injurev orv deteriorate the commodity' and rot the car structure.

It is further to be observed that the cup 10'loosely enclosing the end' of the drain pipe constitutes a collapsible structure which when subi-ected to external pressures greater `than the pressures within they pipe 9, colila-pses against the outer wall thereof in order to resist effectively any force tending to destroy the seal. This is particularly advantageous` when strong winds are blowing` which otherwise would blow the liquid back up the pipe and into the interior of the car,

resulting injuriously to the commodity and car structure as above pointed out.

If it is desired to prevent freezing of the water forming the seal when the surrounding temperatures are relatively low, rock salt or other suitable material may be placed in the bottom of the cup. I-Iowever, under some circumstances, it may be desirable to permit the water in the pipe 9 and cup 19 to freeze and prevent the colder atmospheric air from entering the car and frosting, freezing or otherwise injuring the commodity. If there is no ice in the bunker 3 there will, of course, be no water flowing down the pipe 9 to form a seal, so in this event the cup 10 mayy first be filled with water or snow and then applied to the pipe. and in this manner an effective seal has been obtained with a minimum expenditure of time and trouble.

It is preferred that the cup 10V heretofore described bel constructed of relatively heavy4 paper, paper substitute or similar flexible material which has been coated with parafnueA orl other suitable material which causesy the structure tc be reasonably resistant to water and allralescent acids such construction being extremely simple so that the manufacturing cost is low, although effi'- ciently obtaining the' desired results. I

A s indicated ink Fig; 8, the cup 10av may be constructed similarly to the cup 10; but in this instancel the structurel is made of cloth suitably treated to have proper resistant qualities abovel mentioned. Instead: of eniploying au elastic ba :d to hold the cupl in position on the drain' pipe 9; a wire 14 may be interlaced through the structurel of the cup and' the ends thereof project outwardly so that by the' use of pliers or other suitable tool these projecting ends may be twisted or bent thus securely to tighten theV wire in one of the annular lgrooves 11.

It will be seen that I have provided a construction which satisfies the objects enumerated above and one which constitutes a valuable advance in the art. While I havel shown the invention in certain physical embodiments, it is to be understood that modilications of the structure shown may be made by those skilled in this art without departing from my invention as expressed in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a refrigerator car, the combination with a drain duct leadingV from the interior thereof to the outside for permitting liquid to flow therethrough by gravity, of'a flexible fabric structure enclosingthe end of said duct, said device having apertures therein above the endl of said duct to permit res stricted liquid flow therethrough, and means for removably connecting the upper portion of said device to said duct.

2. In a refrigerator car, the combination with a drain duct leading from the interior of the car for draining water melting from the ice contained therein to the outside by gravity, of a cup of flexible material enclos ing the end of said duct and having apertures therein above the end of said duct for permitting liquid flow therethrough, and means for removably connecting the upper portion of said device to said duct.

3. In a refrigerator car, the combination with a drain duct for d aining liquid from the interior of the car to the outside, of means enclosing' the end portion of said duct for creating a liquid seal, said means consisting of a flexible fabric cup having a series of apertures arranged above the end portion of the duct. and means enclosing the cup above said apertures for removably connecting the cup to said duct whereby liquid may flow from the duct between the cup and outer wall of the duct and through said apertures.

4. In a refrigerator car, the combination with a drain duct for draining liquid from the interior of the car to the outside by gravity, of a flexible fabric device enclosing the end of said duct and having apertures therein above the end of said duct for permitting restricted liquid flow therethrough, and means for removably connecting` the upper portion of said device to said duct, said duct having means cooperating with said connecting means for insuring against accidental detachment of said device.

5. In a refrigerator car. the combination with a drain duct for draining liquid from the interior of the car to the outside by gravity, of a flexible fabric cup enclosing the end of said duct and having apertures above the end of said duct, said duct having an external groove, and means cooperating with said groove for removably comiecting said-cup to the outer wall of said duct.

6. A drain seal for refrigerator cars foniprising in combination with a drain duct.

means for creating a liquid seal at one end ol said duct consisting of a flexible structure enclosing the end portion of said duct and having an aperture therein away from said end portion to permit limited egress o t liquid from the duct and means for detachably securing said structure to said duct, said structure being of such character that when the pressure on the outside of said structure overcomes the liquid pressure the structure automatically collapses against the outer wall of the duct thereby preventing destruction of the seal by wind, etc.

7. A drain seal for refrigerator cars comprising in combination with a drain duct, a flexible structure loosely enclosing the end portion of the duct and having an aperture therein adjacent the free end thereof, and means for detachably connecting the structure to said duct, said structure being of such character that when Wind blows against the duct suliicient to overcome the liquid pressure therein, the structure automatically collapses to prevent destruction of the seal.

8. A drain seal for refrigerator cars comprising in combination with a drain duct, a collapsible structure enclosing the end portion of said duct and having an aperture therein positioned away from the end of the duct, and'means for removably securing said structure to the duct in such a manner that when the liquid or extraneous matter entering said structure exceeds a predetermined pressure or weight the structure is automatically disengaged from the duct.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specilication.

GEORGE L. COMLOSSY. 

